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As rightly said 

“A baby’s motivation to put food in his mouth is curiosity and copying not hunger”

What is weaning?

Weaning is the introduction of solid foods into a baby’s diet during the first year of life. Weaning is a process wherein the child is taught to taper breast milk and is introduced to various categories of foods in a step-wise fashion. The goal of the weaning process is that by one year of age child will eat modified family food i.e. food without any spices or gravy.

It is important to note that weaning is a gradual and unique process. In the beginning, children will only be learning how to eat solid food with all their primary nutrients coming from breast milk only. Weaning is not a race and the process has to be started gradually at a child’s pace, with plenty of help and encouragement.

What are the stages of weaning?

As mentioned the food has to be introduced in a gradual, step-by-step manner which starts at 6 months of age

Stage 1: Introduction of solid food (4-6 months of age)

The child will experience their first taste of food at this time. The food is given in a pureed form with help of a spoon. This might be just one or two spoons at first and child will be still relying mainly on milk feeds for their nutrition

Stage 2: Introduction to textured food (7-9 months of age)

Here the child can be offered a wider range of food with different textures and tastes. Finger foods can be introduced at this stage. By the age of 9 months, the child will gradually eat more, and dependency on milk feeds decreases.

Stage 3: Wider variety and Family food (Around 9-12months)

By end of this stage, the baby will need very little milk feed and will be enjoying more solid foods which are eaten by all family members. They will also start to eat food on their own.

What are the signs my baby is ready for weaning?

As recommended 6 months is the age to start weaning. However, every baby is different and it can be useful if you look for these signs which might be an indication that your baby is ready to be weaned.

• Your baby can stay in a sitting position and hold their head steady.
• Your bay can coordinate their eyes, hands, and mouth so that they can look at food and pick it
• Their swallow reflex has developed wherein they don’t throw much food and can swallow.

How can I make weaning easier?

Weaning is easier if a child has developed a habit of having milk from other sources than breastfeeding. This can be done once breastfeeding is well established where you can introduce your child to drinking milk through a bottle. This can be continued where other family members can also get involved and help feed the baby.

As you start always remember every child needs their own time to wean, so be patient as a child is exploring the world of food. Here is some way by which weaning can be made easier:

• Engage your child in fun play activity when you would usually nurse
• Trying to wean the child when a child is facing teething is not a good idea
• Try and introduce a bottle or cup when you typically breastfeed a 1-year-old child. For elder children try giving a healthy snack or offer a cup or just cuddle them
• If your child picks up a comfort habit like thumb sucking don’t discourage it as the child might be getting adapted to the changes that are taking place as weaning has been started

What food should be given to a weaning baby?

The staple food is considered the best food for a baby to start weaning but along with it other food items are also necessary

Initially, the baby is just on breast milk, but as the child grows other foods are also required. These can be animal source food, green leafy vegetables, peas, beans, oils fat, and fruits. The 1-1-4 rule is best to follow. One spoonful of animal source food with one spoonful of cooked beans can be eaten with 4 spoonfuls of thick-cooked staple food. Along with this green leafy vegetables can also be added.

Does weaning affect oral health?

Yes absolutely. Weaning plays a major role in immediate and future dental health as good dietary habits from childhood safeguard and keeps teeth healthy for life. As children wean on different food with textures, they are beginning to practice crucial oral motor skills necessary for future facial development, strong jaw muscles, and good-aligned teeth.

Better chewing action stimulates jaw bone to grow stronger and as chewing efficiency improves more and more jaw muscles get stimulated helping in jaw growth.

Children who are given soft or refined food have oral health issues in the future, the growth is affected and teeth might not grow on time. Also as chewing is limited due to soft food given, jaw and jaw muscle growth can be limited, and teeth are weak and might erupt in a crowded fashion.

Call us today to setup a stress-free first visit for your child, and give them the best oral health care.

Call us or Whatsapp us at +91-9141160212 to book an appointment today! or just drop into our Dental Clinic at RR Nagar in Bangalore

Everybody wants a great smile, but a lot of us need help getting there. Orthodontic treatment is the permanent solution for a perfect smile where your teeth issues like crowding, spacing in teeth or misalignment of teeth can be corrected.

Traditionally these teeth irregularities have been corrected by using braces which use brackets and wires to correct teeth position. But with advancement newer techniques have come which seem to be more aesthetic and appealing.

What are clear aligners?

Clear aligners, also called as invisible aligners are a removable alternative to braces designed around convenience and flexibility. These aligners can fix malaligned teeth or any other irregular bite. These aligners are made of BPA-free plastic and are customised for every patient.

How do the clear aligners work?

Aligners are basically given to the patients as a set of trays which are routinely swapped every 2-3 weeks where small incremental tooth movement can be seen after using each tray. How many trays you need depends on severity of teeth misalignment.

This is achieved by digitally capturing impression/measurement and processing information using specialized software, where all the information is updated and the milling machine automatically custom fabricates set of trays for each patient.

Comfort fit of Clear Aligners

These aligners snugly fit over the teeth without touching the gums. They are trimmed to comfortable sit on your gum line. This design makes the tray less irritating and invisible. Over a period of time they become part of your body without causing any speech defects. There are no restrictions on eating or drinking any food, as you will be removing them before every meal. Also aligners allow for easy brushing and flossing and maintaining good oral hygiene.

Getting the treatment

The first step in getting your teeth aligned is meeting an orthodontist. They will perform an oral examination, take a series of X-rays and photos and take digital impression of the oral cavity.

Then based on the X-rays and impression, a line of treatment will be decided and number of aligners and time required for the entire treatment will be decided.

Care with clear aligners

• These aligners have to be worn 22 hours a day and are taken out of mouth only for eating, drinking or brushing of teeth. 
• Keep the aligners clean. When you brush make sure to clean the aligners in same way
• Keep the aligners in a box given by your orthodontist so that you won’t misplace it

For more information about clear aligners read here

What teeth issues can clear aligners fix?

Depending on the brand, clear aligners can fix these alignment issues:

Crowded teeth – i.e. overlapping of teeth

Diastema – i.e. Gap between the teeth

Overbite – i.e. upper front teeth overlap with lower front teeth

Underbite – i.e. lower front teeth overlap with upper front teeth

Proclined teeth – upper teeth placed well ahead of lower teeth

Open bite – front upper and lower teeth slant outward and do not touch when mouth is closed

Benefits of clear aligners:

• Invisible – they are virtually invisible, no one can notice that you are undergoing treatment.
• Allergic free – No chance of an allergic reaction as the material is safe and does not cause any mouth ulcer
• Comfort – Most comfortable and easily removable
• Precise planning – Final result can be visualized before the treatment through th 3D view
• No diet restrictions
• Time saving treatment
• Pain free treatment

Which is more effective?

https://youtube.com/watch?v=LrzgH97GZQI%3Ffeature%3Doembed%26enablejsapi%3D1%26origin%3Dhttps%3A

Metal braces are the traditional method of straightening teeth and till date have found to be effective in correcting severe crowding cases.

For more information on metal braces read here

Also metal braces cost lower compared to clear aligners and since they are fixed to your teeth, there is no worry of losing or misplacing the.

On the other hand, aligners have an advantage over the metal braces, as they can be easily removed while eating or brushing

Also, the time span required to complete the treatment is much less than metal braces.

The comfort and fit of aligners is easily acceptable by the patient and there is no damage to the teeth, nor any worry about the metal brackets causing ulcers or coming out.

Don’t wait to change your smile and start feeling more confident today. If you want to improve your smile but are worried about your looks getting hampered with the use of metal braces. 

Call us or Whatsapp us at +91-9141160212 to book an appointment today! or just drop into our Dental Clinic at RR Nagar in Bangalore

When any kid is recommended by a dentist for a root canal treatment/pulpectomy, the mind begins to race. You might have dozens of questions in your mind. Aren’t milk teeth eventually going to fall off?

• Is root canal treatment/pulpectomy possible in kids?
• Is it painful?
• Do milk teeth need root canal treatment/pulpectomy?
• Aren’t milk teeth temporary teeth?

To answer these questions let’s look into the details of what is root canal treatment/pulpectomy in kids

A root canal procedure is the process of removal of the diseased pulp from your child’s tooth. The pulp is the tissue that contains nerves and blood vessels that fill up the tooth root. If at any time tooth is infected or damaged with the bacteria involving pulp, root canal treatment/pulpectomy is recommended. 

Why is root canal treatment needed in children?

Tooth decay is very common in kids due to their eating habits, consumption of sugary food and drinks, refined carbohydrates, and improper brushing. This creates tiny holes in teeth called cavities. If these cavities are left untreated they grow larger due to the bacteria present and reach the inner layer of the tooth which is the nerves that infect the tooth completely. This causes severe toothaches, and infections and may even lead to the loss of teeth. Hence it becomes necessary to save the tooth as the loss of a tooth has many consequences:

• Speech defect
• Loss of space as adjacent teeth might shift
• Unaesthetic in appearance
• Damage to the permanent teeth

To prevent all this root canal treatment/pulpectomy is done thus preserving those tiny white pearls which serve as a guide for proper placement of adult teeth and saving future expensive treatments.

What are the signs your child needs a root canal treatment/pulpectomy?

• The first indication that something is wrong with a child’s tooth is pain, ranging from sharp, and intense to dull aching pain. This pain can be spontaneous or in response to specific stimuli like cold or hot.
• If there occurs a pimple-like bump in the child’s gums, it is an indication of pus associated with the tooth 
• Other symptoms like fever, general malaise, and tender lymph nodes might be present.

If you notice any of these symptoms or if you suspect that something is not right with your child’s teeth, make sure to contact your nearest dentist soon. If a kid’s root canal treatment/pulpectomy is recommended by your dentist, do not ignore the treatment and get it done immediately. Root canal treatment is not age-specific in children and can be carried out for any age if the tooth shows such symptoms.

How do I prepare my child for root canal treatment/pulpectomy?

A pediatric dentist will tell the parent how to prepare their child for root canal treatment/pulpectomy. Parents can talk to their children about the procedure and why it is necessary. A parent can help children understand what will be done in the treatment by giving examples from a daily routine like your tooth has germs, and it has to be removed. So the doctors will make your tooth sleep and remove all germs to make it white again.

X-rays will be taken by the dentist to see the extent of the infection. This can show how bad the infection is and help dentists see the shape and size of the root canal. A child will be given local anesthesia. This will prevent pain during the procedure.

What happens during a root canal procedure?

Your child’s dentist will first give anesthesia to the child. Then insert tools to remove the diseased tissue and infection from the tooth with cleaning fluids. Thorough cleaning of the tooth will be done with different instruments. The tooth will be dried, filled with medicament, and sealed with a filling. Over this, stainless steel or aesthetic cap is given to give a complete seal to the tooth and maintain its functionality.

What happens after a root canal?

Your child might have some pain after the procedure. This is normal and it lasts only for a few hours. Your dentist will prescribe pain medicine and antibiotics if needed. Ask your dentist when can child eat or drink again. Ask about any special instructions to follow after the treatment. You will be called for a follow-up after a few days.

How can you prevent the need for a root canal treatment/pulpectomy?

The best way to prevent the need for root canal treatment/pulpectomy is by maintaining your teeth in good condition.

Regular brushing and flossing help maintain teeth and gums in a healthy state. Make sure you encourage your child to brush twice daily using fluoridated toothpaste. Also, the in-between snacking and junk food have to be avoided. Make a habit of visiting your dentist every 6 months for a routine check-up, cleaning of teeth, and fluoride application. Any cavity if noticed should not be ignored and should be filled immediately. This will save your child’s teeth from the need for root canal treatment/pulpectomy thus saving your time, and money and preserving your child’s teeth.

Call us or Whatsapp us at +91-9141160212 to book an appointment today! or just drop into our Dental Clinic at RR Nagar in Bangalore